MomReviews

A Bug’s Life on Blu-Ray and DVD

If there was ever a movie that was made to be seen in high definition, it’s A Bug’s Life. Every single blade of grass, every feather on each bird, the detail on the grains and berries- incredible. I was thrilled to receive A Bug’s Life to review on Blu-Ray, and I can confidently report that this is worth buying!

If you aren’t familiar with it, A Bug’s Life is a Disney/Pixar animated movie that was first released in 1998. It’s the story of Flik (voice of Dave Foley), an ant who wants to be a better bug, but lives in a colony whose main goal in life is to keep the local grasshoppers fed. They all live in fear of the arrival of the grasshoppers each summer, especially the “boss”, Hopper (voice of Kevin Spacey).

When Flik accidentally destroys the grasshoppers’ food, he asks the colony for permission to go look for help–not help getting more food, but help fighting off the grasshoppers once and for all. The Queen Ant (Phyllis Diller) and her daughter Princess Atta (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) are eager to be rid of Flik and his crazy inventions and give him permission to leave.

Flik finds what he thinks is a group of warrior bugs in a traveling circus, and convinces them to come back to the colony and fight. What makes this movie fun for both kids and adults is the snappy dialogue including Denis Leary as an un-ladylike ladybug, Joe Ranft as the German-accented caterpillar, David Hyde Pierce as a stick bug, and Michael McShane as a pair of unintelligible pillbugs. The scene-stealer is Atta’s squeaky-voiced sister, baby Dot (Hayden Panettiere), who has a big sweet spot for Flik.

Bonus Features: Academy-Award winning short film “Geri’s Game”, director commentary, a look behind the scenes, Walt Disney’s “Silly Symphony”, outtakes, and more.

This is a great movie to watch with kids! Pick it up on DVD or Blu-Ray.

New Winner of Crayola Outdoor Challenge Giveaway

One of the winners of my Crayola Outdoor Challenge Giveaway has not replied to two emails asking for her mailing information, so unfortunately, she has forfeited her prize. I’ve chosen a new winner-congratulations to Angie from 5 Vinez Monkeys!  She wins Crayola Sidewalk Crayons, a chalk Rainbow Rake, and the new 3D Jungle Safari Activity Set which has paint, stencils and 3D glasses.

Oh, and if you could use a big giggle today, watch Angie’s Wordless Wednesday video of  this baby “telling” a story. It’s HILARIOUS!!

Shop, Save, Share and Earn at Buxr

As if the Internet wasn’t already awesome enough, nowadays with just a few mouse clicks, you can find coupons, discounts, sales, and deals on just about anything you want to buy.  Buxr is a site that lets you share the deals you find, shop for them right from the site, AND earn cash prizes for posting the best deals!

It works like this- sign up for a Buxr account or sign in using your Google account. You can use the site without registering for it, but if you do register, you get these great benefits:

• Participate in deal contests
• Customize deals view to your preference (coming)
• Flag dead & expired deals

Web Publishers:

• Make money with commissions from the Buxr Deals Widget
• Manage your widget and track widget performance

I recommend clicking the Watch Video link in the top right corner of the site for a terrific tutorial on how to get the most out of the site.  Then, browse the Latest Hot Deals on the left side of the screen. Use the dropdown menu to choose Hot Deals from the last one through five days.

You can also search for coupons for popular brands like Dell and Amazon.com, read and participate in Active Discussions about deals, see winners and top contributors, and get links to deals expiring that day.  You can also customize the main page by adding or subtracting modules so that you always see what you are most interested in first.

Deals can be something that’s free, on sale, a printable or in-store coupon, or just a really great price for something.  You can search by category, and once you are on a deal page, see any other deals for that same manufacturer or store. I’ve registered for a  Free Kraft Savings Booklet and Calendar, printed a page of dollar-off coupons for Meijer, and made a note of a great deal on a box fan at Home Depot. And I didn’t have to visit three separate sites to do it!

Submit deals and WIN CASH! The members who lists the best online deals of the day win $10 each  and/or $5 for submitting the best in-store only offer. In addition the winner who gains the most votes overall during the contest day will receive a bonus $5 on top of his/her award.

Buxr asked me for my feedback on the site itself, and I have one suggestion. It can be hard to find areas of the site, there were pages I didn’t know existed until I happened to click on something. I’d like to see a Navigation Bar all the way across the top of the site with links to each internal page. For example, to get to the Dashboard Module page I mentioned above, I had to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the main page and click “add module”. A link at the top to the Dashboard would be much easier to use.

Other than that, I think Buxr is a really great idea and I appreciate having links to so many different kinds of deals in one place.  So, MomReviews readers, take a minute and go check out Buxr. You’re going to shop anyway, you might as well save money!

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Kashi and Bear Naked are just plain good

If you look at the typical American diet, one nutrient that had been missing but fortunately for all of us is now being added back in is fiber. Fiber is the indigestible part of plant foods like fruits, vegetables and grains, and it is necessary for good digestion. Your Grandma called it “roughage” (or at least mine did). How much fiber do you need?

Current recommendations from the United States National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, suggest that adults should consume 20-35 grams of dietary fiber per day, but the average American’s daily intake of dietary fiber is only 12-18 grams.

The ADA recommends a minimum of 20-35 g/day for a healthy adult depending on calorie intake (e.g., a 2000 cal diet should include 25 g of fiber per day). The ADA’s recommendation for children is that intake should equal age in years plus 5 g/day (e.g., a 4 year old should consume 9 g/day). (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dietary_fiber)

One great opportunity to get more fiber is at breakfast.  The Journal of Nutrition reports a new study in its May issue that found women who ate a low-glycemic index, fiber-rich breakfast burned more fat when they worked out later in the day than women who ate a high-glycemic index breakfast low in fiber, and were less likely to overeat at lunch.  Start your day smart with a bowl of Bear Naked Fit Granola (www.bearnaked.com), which offers a low-glycemic index and good source of fiber, or Kashi GoLEAN Cereal (www.kashi.com), packed with 10g of dietary fiber per serving.

For lunch or dinner, Kashi 7 Whole Grain Pilaf  gives you complex whole grain carboyhydrates that are high in fiber and protein but very low in sodium and fat with zero cholesterol. It can be eaten plain or used in recipes.

I received a bag of Bear Naked  Granola in Apple Cinnamon and a box of Kashi 7 Whole Grain Pilaf for review.  The Granola was SO GOOD. Do you like Apple Crisp? Apple Cinnamon Bear Naked Granola tastes EXACTLY like Apple Crisp! A 1/4 cup serving is 140 calories, 5 grams of fat, 3 grams of fiber, and 3 grams of protein.  And no, 1/4 cup is NOT enough!  Yes, that is a lot of fat, but studies are now showing that fat from healthy oils like the canola oil in this granola are good for your heart. Balance a serving or two of this granola with the rest of your fat intake for the day and you can enjoy it guilt free!

I wasn’t as much of a fan of the Kashi 7 Whole Grain Pilaf, but I think that’s because all I did was cook it according to package directions and serve it plain. It really needs to be mixed with spices, maybe some veggies or even a little meat or cheese.  I’ll tell you what though, it sure is filling.  Some people might even like eating it for breakfast with milk and sugar!

Learn more about Bear Naked products at http://www.bearnaked.com and more about Kashi products at http://www.kashi.com.

Hamilton Beach Thermal Cooler Plus Blender

Whether you want cold drinks at home or to take on the go, the Hamilton Beach Thermal Cooler plus Blender is the perfect appliance for summertime and any time.  Mix your drinks directly into the thermal cooler, lift off the base, and take it with you to sporting events, the beach, the park, or even just to the back yard. Your drinks will stay cool for up to EIGHT HOURS and the easy-pour spout makes serving simple.

In addition, you get a regular glass blender jar to use in your kitchen to whip up smoothies, slushies, blended coffee drinks, even pancake and french toast batter. You can even use a blender to mix eggs, cheese and milk before pouring into a skillet for the perfect omelette!

To learn more about the Hamilton Beach Thermal Cooler Plus Blender,other great appliances from Hamilton Beach, and find recipes, visit www.hamiltonbeach.com/blenderreview.  You can also find the Thermal Cooler Plus Blender at K-mart.

My favorite recipe to use with my Thermal Cooler is a big batch of healthy fruit smoothies, like this Hamilton Beach Fruit Smoothie with Heart:

* 1 cup nonfat milk
* ½ cup low fat flavored or plain yogurt
* ¼ cup honey
* 2 cups frozen fruit – mixture of choice,
* 1 banana
* ¼ cup ice